San Joaquin County farmers report the asparagus beds in and around the Delta are producing a high-quality crop of early season asparagus.

But with shipments for this weekend's Easter holiday already in the pipeline and continuing competition from Mexican imports, those same farmers also face a drop in prices that could take out any profits from their harvest, at least in the short term.

Ed Zuckerman, chief executive of Zuckerman Family Farms, said early season prices had been fairly strong, running about $45 per 28-pound carton.

But in the past few days, as grocery retailers finished filling their orders for Easter, prices have headed south of the roughly $35 per carton needed to cover production and packing costs.

The U.S. Agricultural Marketing Service's website reported Mexican asparagus at border crossings in California and Arizona generally sold Monday for about $29 to $33 a carton, with most about $31.

While California asparagus generally fetches a higher price, it's hard to compete against such low-priced imports.

"This week and next, I expect it to be pretty tough," Zuckerman said Tuesday. "Where next week's prices are going to end up, I don't know."

Cherie Watte Angulo, executive director of the California Asparagus Commission, said asparagus growers in the state - mostly found in and around the San Joaquin Delta - have sharply cut back production over the past 10 to 15 years, trying to find a secure market even as imports from Mexican growers rise.

"We've kind of bottomed out and found a place where our supply matches our demand," she said Tuesday.

"This season, it looks like we're right on track to produce about the same amount we did last year - 36 million pounds on 11,000 to 12,000 acres statewide."

That's down from former California harvests.

San Joaquin County reports show in 2000 it alone produced more than 63 million pounds of asparagus from 23,600 acres harvested. By 2011, according to the latest available report, county plantings had fallen to 6,400 acres.

Watte Angulo said consumers should demand California, rather than imported, asparagus.

"The lesson to your readers is, if you do not see fresh California asparagus in your marketplace, ask for it," she said.

Marc Marchini, a Stockton asparagus farmer and the commission's chairman, said that sort of consumer demand would be a boon. And he promised that the California product is certainly fresher and of higher quality than the imports.

But if area farmers can continue to produce the vegetable through the spring, until it gets too warm in Mexico, prices should turn back in their favor.

"I'm just keeping my fingers crossed," he said. "We should have a pretty good season through the month of April, and hopefully we can hang onto it through the month of May.

"We're hanging in there for dear life, and we're going to stay in the business for as long as we can."